Work of Thomas Schlathölter and his team featured on PCCP cover

23 September 2018

PCCP Cover featuring the work of Schlathölter et al.

Sequential attachment of atomic hydrogen to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules such as coronene leads to a gradual transition from an aromatic to an aliphatic molecular electronic structure. At the same time, the planar PAH geometry breaks down and is gradually replaced by a corrugated structure. The process is very similar to hydrogenation of graphene sheets, which can be employed to open up the graphene band gap in a controlled way. Furthermore, interactions of atomic hydrogen with PAHs are considered relevant for formation H2 formation in the interstellar medium.

In a collaboration between theory (M. Rapacioli and Aude Simon, Toulouse, France), astronomy ( S. Cazaux , Delft) and experiment (N. Foley, R. Hoekstra, T. Schlathölter, ZIAM) this hydrogenation process for the model PAH cation coronene was thoroughly studied. The study established how the balance between energy deposition by hydrogen attachment and the extent of cooling between subsequent attachment events manifests in mass spectra dominated by small hydrocarbon fragment cation and multiply hydrogenated coronene cations.

On Monday, November 26, UG researcher Anouk Goossens receives the Shell Award. This prize is awarded annually to three (former) physics students. Goossens receives the prize for her investigation into using the material Nb-doped SrTiO3 for imitating...

A bountiful and healthy Wadden Sea is an indispensable link in the life cycles of many migratory birds and fish. This is why the Wadden Fund and the three Wadden provinces – Groningen, Friesland and Noord-Holland – strive for the creation of such a...